SWASH (Shallow Water Autonomous Surveying Hovercraft) System

Common methods of surveying in very shallow water (<5 meters) may have issues maneuvering in such an environment or be less effective depending on water clarity. The SWASH (shallow water autonomous surveying hovercraft) system can move from land to water seamlessly and is able to collect high resolution data in water as shallow as 30 cm. Our first hovercraft prototype works as this platform that bridges the gap between maneuverability and accurate data collection but faces challenges depending on some external environmental factors including wind and waves. The proposed project is to build a second hovercraft prototype which is still able to maneuver over land and water and collect high resolution data at shallow depths but can also overcome wind, waves, and currents without being pushed off track. This platform will be able to be used in not just a mapping survey, but in many other possible surveys and can therefore be marketed for a variety of uses both academic and non-academic.

Faculty Supervisor:

David Barclay

Student:

Meghan Troup

Partner:

Springboard Atlantic

Discipline:

Oceanography

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Dalhousie University